KL — as in Klondike — translated to “55.” And so: 555. How this tradition of using that exchange for fictional numbers began isn’t really clear, it seems. Why were words used in phone numbers? The leading letters of a central office name were used as the leading components of […]
555 was introduced as a way to curb prank callers dialling numbers seen in movies way back in the 1950s, those specific digits chosen because the combination of J, K and L, the letters assigned to the number 5 on a phone, are not associated with any major American states. […]
In December 1920, as the phone company prepared for direct local dialing, all numbers became four digits. The older two- and three-digit numbers acquired four digits by adding one or two zeroes: Spring 255, say, would have become Spring 0255. How did you make a phone call in the 1920s? […]
Today, only the numbers 555-0100 through 555-0199 are reserved for fictional use, although some of the older numbers gained notoriety for their repeated use – sort of like a numeric Wilhelm Scream. Does 555 mean its not a real phone number? These were an early form of regional tollfree number […]
By the 1920s, an exchange could accommodate up to 100,000 numbers. In those years, making a phone call involved picking up the receiver, asking the operator to connect you to a particular number, waiting for her to plug it in, then waiting for the ring to bring someone to the […]
In the event you didn’t know, there is no area code 420 in the U.S. Oh yes, the Czech Republic country code is 420. What phone area code is 420? Following the break-up of Czechoslovakia in 1993, the successor states, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, continued to share the 42 […]
LC call numbers are read from left to right, and from top to bottom. The letters at the beginning of the call number are alphabetical. The numbers immediately following are in basic numerical order, i.e., 5 then 6, 50 is after 49 and before 51, and 100 is after 99. […]
If you still think your phone is listening to you, there’s a simple experiment you can try. Go to your phone’s settings and restrict access to your microphone for all your apps. Pick a product you know you haven’t searched for in any of your devices and talk about it […]
It’s probably a scammer, and you shouldn’t answer. Caller ID spoofing is a process by which con artists, pranksters and robocallers disguise their phone numbers to make it look like someone else is calling. Spoofed calls may appear to come from banks, 911, government agencies, or from a familiar number […]
Due to the high population, California is host to a large number of area codes. These presently include area code 209, 213, 310, 323, 408, 415, 424, 442, 510, 530, 559, 562, 619, 626, 650, 657, 661, 669, 707, 714, 747, 760, 805, 818, 831, 858, 909, 916, 925, 949, […]
If you hear pulsating static, high-pitched humming, or other strange background noises when on voice calls, it may be a sign that your phone is being tapped. If you hear unusual sounds like beeping, clicking, or static when you’re not on a call, that’s another sign that your phone is […]
Can I block their calls? You can register on the “Do Not Call” register. This register is run by the New Zealand Marketing Association. Marketers regularly access the Do Not Call Register and check the names and phone numbers against their own list of names and phone numbers they want […]
There are 317 geographic area codes in the United States and an additional 18 non-geographic area codes totalling 335 US area codes. Will we run out of area codes? According to forecasts by the North American Numbering Plan Administrator — that’s the official clearinghouse for area codes in the U.S., […]
The lowest assigned area code, 201, serves northeastern New Jersey, including Jersey City. The highest, 989, was created in 2000 for Saginaw, Michigan, and the northeastern lower peninsula. The toll-free 800 number was created in 1966. Is there a 0 area code? Area code 000 is not a valid North […]
Calls from these devices come into a 9-1-1 center as having a 911 area code, since there is no area code associated. If you have been taking calls for a day in a 9-1-1 center you have probably already identified that calls that come in from a 911 area code […]